Auto reply: I am away until and slow to respond. Anything urgent can go to at .
Professional · short · 1 of 1
Also for your time off
Now switch it on
Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Mail.
Tap Mail Accounts.
Tap your Exchange account.
Tap Automatic Reply, turn it on, write your away message and set an end date.
Tap Save.
Start
your first day away
End
the morning you are back
Set on the Exchange server, so Outlook automatic replies behaviour applies (once per sender).
For texts, open Settings, tap Focus, then Driving, tap Auto-Reply, choose who gets it and replace the message with something like "Auto reply: I am away until October 14 and slow to respond. Anything urgent can go to Priya Nair at priya.nair@yourcompany.com."
Apple documents Auto-Reply for texts in the Driving Focus, which also silences notifications, so for work email use Automatic Reply on an Exchange account under Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts, or Auto-Reply in iCloud Mail on iCloud.com.
All 6 replies on this page
Type your details in the writer and every reply below fills itself in.
Professional 2
Auto reply: I am away until [Back on] and slow to respond. Anything urgent can go to [Who covers] at [Their email].
Short
Thanks for your text. I am out from [Away from] to [Back on] with little phone time. Urgent work questions: [Who covers], [Their email].
Longer
Warm 2
Hey! Away until [Back on] and keeping my phone in a drawer. If it is work and urgent, try [Who covers] at [Their email].
Short
Hi! I am off from [Away from] to [Back on] and answering texts slowly. [Who covers] ([Their email]) can help with work things meanwhile.
Longer
Funny 2
This is my phone texting you back, not me. I return [Back on]. Urgent work: [Who covers].
Short
Skip if: A client-facing inbox, or a week when the team is under pressure and the joke would land badly.
Texting from vacation? Never. I am back [Back on]; until then, [Who covers] ([Their email]) answers work questions faster than I would.
Longer
Skip if: A client-facing inbox, or a week when the team is under pressure and the joke would land badly.
How to set it up in iPhone
Steps checked against the official help pages on 2026-10-05. Menus move; if yours differs, the source link has the current wording.
Mail on iPhone: Exchange (work) account
Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Mail.
Tap Mail Accounts.
Tap your Exchange account.
Tap Automatic Reply, turn it on, write your away message and set an end date.
Tap Save.
Start and end time
Yes
Separate reply for coworkers
Yes
How often it replies
Set on the Exchange server, so Outlook automatic replies behaviour applies (once per sender).
Only Exchange (Microsoft 365) accounts show Automatic Reply. Gmail, iCloud and other IMAP accounts on the iPhone do not.
It changes the same server setting as Outlook automatic replies, so a reply set here also shows in Outlook and Teams.
On iOS 17 and earlier the path is Settings > Mail > Accounts (no Apps step).
Tap Driving (if it is missing, tap the add button, then Driving).
Tap Auto-Reply and choose who gets it: No One, Recents, Favorites or All Contacts.
Edit the auto-reply message, then go back.
Turn on the Driving Focus manually from Control Center when you leave (or set While Driving to Manually).
Start and end time
No
Separate reply for coworkers
No
Auto-Reply exists only in the Driving Focus. Apple's Set up a Focus pages for iOS 26 and iOS 27 (the newest guide version on 2026-10-05) list no auto-reply for Do Not Disturb, Personal, Work, Sleep or custom Focuses; those only share a 'notifications silenced' Focus status.
Using Driving as an out of office trick also silences notifications and limits calls; senders can still break through by replying 'urgent'.
Replies go to Messages only, not to email or phone calls.
Expecting a Work or Do Not Disturb Focus to answer texts. Only Driving has Auto-Reply.
Choosing All Contacts when only colleagues text you about work. Recents or Favorites keeps family from getting a business notice.
A long message. Every text here stays under 160 characters, the length of a single SMS.
Forgetting that Driving Focus mutes notifications and limits calls too; senders can still break through by replying urgent.
Looking for email auto-reply on a Gmail or iCloud account in iPhone Settings. Automatic Reply appears only for Exchange accounts; iCloud's lives on iCloud.com.
Filling it in
Type your return date and a work contact, pick a tone and copy the text. Paste it into Settings > Focus > Driving > Auto-Reply and turn Driving on from Control Center when you leave. For email, set the reply on your Exchange account or on iCloud.com instead, using a reply from the Outlook or home page.
Questions people ask
Can an iPhone auto reply to texts when I am out of office?
Apple documents it in the Driving Focus. Open Settings, tap Focus, then Driving, tap Auto-Reply, choose who receives it and edit the message. Turn Driving on by hand from Control Center, and remember it also mutes notifications and limits calls.
How do I set an email out of office reply on my iPhone?
For a work Exchange account, open Settings, tap Apps, then Mail, tap Mail Accounts, choose the Exchange account and tap Automatic Reply. For iCloud Mail, set Auto-Reply on iCloud.com in a browser; Gmail and other accounts use their own app or website.
To
Everyone leaving soon
From
Department of Being Elsewhere
Re
Before you go
The auto reply is one of five things. The other four take about ten minutes and prevent most of the emails you will read when you get back.